I’m Meg Ray, the Teacher-in-Residence at Cornell Tech, and I’m so excited to be here. I will be embedded at PS/IS 217, coaching teachers in computer science content, leading model lessons in the classroom, and providing other supports related to teaching computer science in elementary and middle school. You may know that PS/IS 217 was selected to participate in the Elementary Software Engineering Program (SEP Jr.), and I will help support that implementation, which provides teacher training, curriculum resources and other materials to the school. Cornell Tech’s Teacher in Residence is the only program of its kind in New York City. Although I be will working at several other schools, PS/IS 217 is the only school I will be working at for a full day every week.A little bit about me:I have a background in both the classroom and computer science. I taught computer science and special education for a DOE school in the Bronx. I’ve also developed coding curriculum materials for K-12 students and teachers. I’m currently on the writing committee for the national K-12 Computer Science Standards and was a special advisor to the national K12 Computer Science Framework. Additionally, I train teaching candidates in the School of Special Education at Hunter College.Computer Science in the Kindergarten classrooms:This week, the kindergarteners learned about algorithms, lists of steps that programmers give a computer to tell it how to do something. The kindergarten students worked in groups to create an algorithm that teaches an imaginary robot how to wash its hands. They did this by sequencing five steps. This is preparing the students to sequence similar algorithms in a coding program that uses images and simple words to complete tasks. If you’d like to learn more about algorithms with your kindergartener, try these “unplugged” videos and activites: http://csunplugged.org/sorting-algorithms/

Read more about the Cornell Tech Teacher-in-Residence Program at PS/IS 217: